The Anak Krakatoa volcano in Indonesia has erupted, shooting volcanic ash clouds into the sky and prompting authorities to advise locals to wear masks outside.
The Sunday explosion resulted in ash rising up to 3,000 metres into the sky, according to reports.
“We are still recording continuous eruptions with thick clouds towering between 500 to 3,000 metres from the peak,” Deny Mardiono of Indonesia’s Geological Agency stated.
“People, including tourists,” he continued, “should obey the Geological Agency’s recommendation, which prohibits anyone being within a two-kilometre radius of the crater.”
Anak Krakatoa, which translates to “Child of Krakatoa,” has exploded 21 times in recent weeks, but officials claimed Sunday’s eruption was the greatest ever recorded.
“We have increased the status of Mount Anak Krakatoa from level two to level three and recommend that nobody is allowed to get closer than five kilometres radius from the active crater,” Hendra Gunawan, head of the country’s Centre of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation, said.
Indonesia is located on the Pacific’s ‘Ring of Fire,’ where tectonic plates collide, resulting in intense volcanic and seismic events. There are over 130 active volcanoes in the country.
Since its formation in 1930, Anak Krakatoa has been growing and erupting. In December 2018, an eruption triggered a catastrophic tsunami, killing over 400 people and displacing over 40,000 others.